Evaluate the Strengths and Weaknesses of Reason as a way of Knowing.

The Strengths and Weaknesses of Reason as a Way of Knowing

There can be many paths to the acquisition of knowledge but chief among them is the use of reason . This assertion is supported by some of the most brilliant thinker in the history of mankind . Yet this notion is not without its difficulties . This study will discuss not only the strengths of using reason to acquire knowledge but also its weaknesses

This will also look into the theory of knowing or acquiring knowledge by first getting a basic understanding of epistemology , a

br branch of philosophy that deals with theories on knowledge acquisition But the gist of the will focus on the idea that one of the main method of acquiring knowledge is through the use of man 's reasoning abilities . And this of course will be evaluated by its strengths and weaknesses as applied to real-life situations

Background

Knowledge is power . This is one of the most popular slogans of the modern age . But the real question - at least in the minds of philosophers - is not whether one can verify the veracity of the phrase but to a more basic level , how can a person acquire knowledge . This is the beginning of how a philosopher can mess up a perfectly working world . Yet , the query cannot be denied what indeed is the means to knowing

Rationalism

The use of reason in acquiring knowledge generally falls under a school of thought called Rationalism . This branch of epistemology dictates that man acquires knowledge through intuition . As early as 1689 the idea that reason can be the primary source for acquiring knowledge was already evident . This can be known through studying the works of the very famous philosopher John Locke . In a translation of his work , Locke explained the logic as to why it is good to believe in the power of one 's own abilities to know and understand the world

Locke was able to endorse his theory on use of reason and the person 's mental capability for truth searching by first shooting down a commonly held belief in the world of epistemology . The said idea which Locke finds disturbing is the equally popular notion that man has received an imprint a sort of prior knowledge that enabled him to understand the world around him . And he insisted t As early as 1689 the idea that reason can be the primary source for acquiring knowledge was already evident . This can be known through studying the works of the very famous philosopher John Locke . In a translation of his work , Locke explained the logic as to why it is good to hat , .men , barely by the use of their natural faculties , may attain to all the knowledge they have without the help of any innate impressions and may arrive at certainty without any such original notions or principles (Locke Woolhouse 1997 ,